Find Your Balance
by vegetasbubble
Summary: : Post Mid Season Final. Daryl and Beth are alone, hungry and trying to survive. After their escape from the Prison, the unlikely pair try and make it in an unknown world. Beth x Daryl focus.
1. Chapter 1

**Find Your Balance **

**Summary:** Post Mid Season Final. Daryl and Beth are alone, hungry and trying to survive. After their escape from the Prison, the unlikely pair try and make it in an unknown world. Beth x Daryl focus.

**Warnings:** Rated M for language, violence, blood and gore, sexual references and themes. I'm going to try and keep the characters in character as much as I can. The story will be set post Mid Season Final, ie, after the Prison attack. The story will only be from the POVs of Daryl and Beth, so none of the other groups, so if you're looking for one of those stories, you won't find it here - sorry.

**Notes:** So, I honestly cannot wait for February to come around and the return of my current favorite tv show so I am writing this baby. I have no idea how long it is going to be, what is going to happen or the length of each chapter. I do, however, intend to have the story finished before the return of Walking Dead in February. Also, please don't send any flames about not liking a relationship between a young woman (18) and older man (40). This is my story and I'll write what and how I want.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Walking Dead - if I had, Beth and Daryl would have been shagging back at the farm and Daryl would be daddy Dixon by now.

**SPOILERS:** Please do not read if you have not seen the Season 4 Episode 8 " Too Far Gone," as this will set directly afterwards and contains references to the episode.

ONE

"We gotta go beth - we gotta go." His words were strong and to the point and the blonde didn't answer back as she followed behind him, watching as he took out walker after walker with only his hunting knife. Beth wondered why he wasn't using the Horton but soon realised it would be time consuming to retrieve each bolt once they had hit their mark - and Daryl always hit his mark.

The gun in her arms felt heavy and unfamiliar as they ran towards the yard that held his motorcycle. Rick and Carl had both tried to teach her to shoot but it had been Carol who had taken the young woman under her wing and taught her how to use simple handguns. When Daryl had handed her the semi-automatic before the firefight, it had felt too heavy for her small arms but she had used it to save her family - save Maggie, Judith, the kids and maybe even get out in the field and help her father. Her father - he was dead, he had to be. Beth had seen the madman they called the Governor slice through half her fathers neck and watched as he fell to the ground, Michonne screaming loudly and then hearing nothing but bullet fire and explosions.

It wasn't until Maggie had left to find Glenn that Beth had thought of the kids, of Judith. Maggie had said they all had jobs to do and Judith had been Beth's job from the minute Lori had given birth to her. The little girl was Rick's world, all he had left of his wife and Beth had left Judith in the safety of the Woodberry residents but when she had seen many of them on the bus already without Judith or the other kids, Beth had panicked and ran off in a hurry, back into the cell block to find them.

After searching for what felt like forever, Beth managed to get back outside, taking out a few walkers who had managed to get into the yard before spotting Daryl, effortlessly taking out one of the Governor's men with an arrow to the chest. "I was trying to get to the kids, to get them on the bus." Her words were rushed and panicked and she wondered if he even cared - from what little she knew of Daryl Dixon, it was that he was very secretive and didn't share his thoughts or emotions with others.

He had acknowledged her statement with a curt nod and quickly spoken of how they needed to leave, Beth seeing the countless number of walkers slowly ambling towards them. The freshly dead bodies of the fallen men and women would give them enough time to get away - maybe to find the others.

Daryl straddled his bike while Beth took watch, keeping an eye out for stragglers or strays. Her gun pointed forward she listened and her heart fluttered when she heard the rumble of the engine and Daryl yelling, "Hop on!" Beth jumped on, clutched her gun to her chest with one hand while the other grasped the bar at the back of the bike. In all her time spent with Daryl, Beth had never seen him take anyone besides Carol on his bike. She had to wonder what had happened to their friend.

She had gone off on a run with Rick a few days ago but when he returned, Carol was no longer with him. "She left," was all her father had said. Beth hadn't pushed, knew her father didn't want to pry and the young woman knew her place. She wasn't a member of the "Council" that her father and the others had set up, Beth was Judith's caregiver. A job, up until recently, she had shared with Carol.

"Right there, girl?" Daryl asked over the rumbling of the engine as they barrelled down the old road that led away from the Prison. Beth nodded, realised he couldn't see and simply responded, "Yeah."

Her reply sounded sullen, Daryl noticed and she had every reason to feel sad. She had just watched her father be murdered. Well, she hadn't seen as much as he had. Daryl had been at the right angle to see the Governor continue his assault on Hershel, ending him the way that barbarians and maniacs do. Daryl had felt a little better when he saw Michonne bury her sword into his chest, twisting it and watching him fall. He was dead. The mad man was dead and gone and had taken one of their own and countless others with him.

"Need to find a place to hole up. Work out what 'ta do," he called to her as he pulled off down a dirt road. Beth simply stayed silent as they made their way down the road. Daryl pointed to a house, one that looked barely plundered and veered the bike to park in front of the house. He supposed should anyone else from their group came across the bike, they would know where the two of them were. Daryl parked the bike, placed down the kickstand and turned the engine off.

He hopped off first, held a hand out to Beth to help her off and watched as she placed her shaking feet on the ground. Gently, he removed the powerful weapon from her arms and threw the strap over one of his shoulders. "Hey, come on, lets check the house out." Beth nodded and bit her bottom lip, Daryl sighed heavily. "Here, take my knife. I'll use the bow." She nodded and softly took the knife from his hand. Daryl ignored how cold and sweaty her fingers felt.

"Follow in behind me, attack quick and don't miss," he instructed and they began their journey inside the house.

**Sorry to leave it there guys but there will be much more. Hope everyone enjoys this, I've had it in my head since I watched the Mid Season Final. I'm so glad they put my ship together - they better not ruin it by having Beth die or having Carol come back. Which may happen in my story, the Carol part, not Beth dying. I haven't quite worked out how I want this story to go. I have a few different paths I could go on but haven't found one that I like, so for now we're just having simple Beth x Daryl moments and interactions with some plot popping its head in every so often. And no, I haven't forgotten about Judith or the fact that Hershel is dead but remember - some characters haven't seen certain things. So like Beth didn't see her daddy actually be beheaded and the two of them never saw the blood covered car seat that Judith had been in. This is my rendition, and things will happen - eventually. **

**Next chapter:** They explore the house and will Daryl tell Beth about Hershel?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes: I want to thank everyone who reviewed, favorite and followed this story. It means a lot to me that everyone is enjoying this story. I'm going to try and get out a chapter as often as I can and I'm trying to keep to a thousand word minimum per chapter. **

TWO

With the house clear of walkers, Daryl and Beth were free to explore the abandoned one story house. Like most houses the group had come across on various runs, this one had been cleaned out. As Beth fumbled through cupboards in the kitchen, Daryl made his way into the bedroom and bathroom, hoping to find some supplies.

"Anythin'?" Daryl asked as he poked his head into the kitchen. Beth produced two cans of beans and a single bottle of water, which had miraculously lasted this long. Daryl's mouth watered but he ignored it and simply nodded. "Good. Bedrooms secure, so if ya wanna' sleep-"

"Daryl, whats that?" Beth had noticed it the moment he had entered the kitchen. The deep crimson leaking through his shirt from his waist. Blood. Daryl was bleeding. Daryl lifted his arm as Beth neared him, poking at him with invasive fingers. "You're bleeding. Come on." She pushed at his back and led him into the bedroom. She made him sit on the bed and began searching in the various drawers for something to help.

"Nothin' there," he started, watching her move about the room, "already looked."

"Ah-ha!" Beth produced a needle and thread from the bottom of a walk in closet. Daryl's eyes widened - he hated needles, always had and always would and he knew what the blonde girl wanted to do.

"Hell no!"

"Oh hush. Now, take your shirt off, I'm gonna go clean this." Daryl wanted to shout at her - both for telling him to take his shirt off and for walking out on him - but he simply sighed as he peeled the dirty and worn sleeveless flannel off his tired and sore body.

Daryl grunted as he managed to get the shirt off and lifted him arm to look at the damage. Somehow, he had managed to cut his skin open. Having no idea how he did it, Daryl shook his head at his stupidity. Beth soon returned, blowing on the needle and holding a spool of thread in the other hand.

"Ready?" She sat beside him and eyed him. "I need you to hold your arm up and stay still. If you can't do that, lay down and hold your arm above your head." Daryl shifted and simply held his arm up. "Looks pretty deep. Its gonna hurt." She lifted her head and eyed him. "You gonna be okay?"

"Forgotten about that damn horse of yours, huh kid?"

"I'm not a kid," Beth muttered, poking the needle in.

"Mother-fucker!" Daryl hissed, eyes squeezing shut as the needle pierced his skin. Beth smirked as she ran the needle and thread through his skin, stitching the skin back together. "Damn, that freakin' hurts."

"Baby," she replied. Daryl watched as the corner of her mouth lifted and chuckled.

Half an hour later, Daryl was all stitched up, bandaged and able to put his shirt back on. Beth cleaned up and returned holding a can of beans out to him. "You should eat. Keep your strength up after all that drama."

"Shut ya' mouth," he snapped, jumping up and snatching his crossbow from the floor and heading outside. Daryl needed a smoke - badly and couldn't really be around the young blonde girl at the moment. He felt bad for her, because she was separated from her sister and had recently lost her father. She didn't know though, hadn't seen the final blow that ending his life and Daryl knew he had to tell her. And soon.

Pulling the almost empty packet from his pants pocket, he pulled one out and lit it quickly. He let the nicotine enter his lungs and sighed at the heavenly taste. "Daryl?" the young woman's voice interrupted his enjoyment and he sighed heavily, annoyed. "Daryl, I wanted to apologise. I shouldn't have acted that way - it was childish and I was raised better than that."

Daryl simply nodded, hoping he didn't scare her away with his silence. She surprised him when she leaned against the other pillar, taking in the quiet night air and peaceful area. "What happens now?"

Daryl inhaled deeply and blew the cloud of smoke above his head. "Find more food and some ammo mainly. Then we start to look for the others."

"You think my Daddy's okay?" Daryl took a large breath and threw the smoke onto the ground.

"Beth..."

"Its okay. I know what happened."

"Yer daddy was a great man." Beth nodded and sighed heavily again. "Beth, go and get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

"You won't leave without me right? I want to go wherever you go. I... I can't be alone right now." Daryl stepped closer to her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

"I won't leave you Beth. I promise."

Beth nodded and wrapped her arms around his middle, much as she had the last time they had been alone. It amazed Daryl that he didn't know as much about the young woman as he did about everyone else. He only knew what everyone else did - that she looked after Judith, that she was the daughter of a farmer and that she could sing. One thing Daryl knew that others didn't though was that Beth barely cried anymore. Not since before Zach, her boyfriend they had lost on a routine run. Daryl guessed that she was very physical though, enjoyed touching and being touched, thus the hugging. Daryl lifted one hand, touched her shoulder again and pulled her close, letting her have her moment.

Beth soon removed herself from his hold and smiled gently to the hardened redneck before nodding and heading back inside. He watched her enter the house and closed the door behind her. He shifted his crossbow and held it straight, aimed at the forest. Daryl felt annoyed and protective of Beth. He needed to find her sister, the sooner he found Maggie the sooner Beth could move on.

**Honestly, I'm not very happy with this chapter but it had to be done. Hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you all think.**

Next chapter: Daryl and Beth go on a run and find someone unexpected.


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